Apparatus for resurfacing meat blocks



NOV. 30, 1948. L N 2,454,992

APPARATUS FOR RE-SURFACING MEAT BLOCKS Filed June 16. 1945 4Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 30, 1948. G. COLEMAN 2,454,992

APPARATUS RE-SURFACING MEAT BLOCKS Filed June 16, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Nov. 30, 1948. G. L.- COLEMAN APPARATUS FOR RE-SURFACING MEAT BL OCKS 4Sheets-Sheet .'5

Filed June 16, 1945 Nov. 30, 1948. G. 1.. COLEMAN APPARATUS FORRE-SURFACING MEAT BLOCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 16. 1945 W w APatented Nov. 30, 1948 APPARATUS FOR RESURFACING MEAT BLOCKS George L.Coleman, Fayetteville, N. 0., assignor of one-half to William 0. Huske,Fayetteville,

Application June 16, 1945, Serial No. 599,848

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a machine for resurfacing meat blocks and thelike and comprises a trackway attachable to opposed sides of the meatblock and embodying a carriage carried by the trackway and said carriagehaving mounted thereon a cutting tool such as a saw and if desired anabrasive tool such as a sand wheel whereby the top portion of the meatblock can be cut away to provide a perfectly smooth plane surface sothat the meat block will have an upper surface just as good as itoriginally had when new.

Meat blocks as used in markets are composed of a plurality of pieces ofwood usually rectangular in cross section which are firmly secured toeach other and occupy a vertical position with relation to each other.This block has suitable legs for supporting it a suitable distance abovethe floor of the market and the upper surface of this meat block isemploy-ed for cutting meat. In using a cleaver and other cutting toolscutting into the upper surface of the meat block, it is gradually Wornaway and pitted, not only presenting an uneven surface but also asurface which is full of fine seams from the meat knife cutting into theblock and thus soon becomes unsanitary as blood and pieces of meat areforced into these cracks and crevices formed by the knife, thus makingit impossible to thoroughly cleanse the working surface of the meatblock.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus that can bemounted on a meat block and having a cutting tool for sawing the top ofthe meat block away and providing a new upper or operating surface forthe meat block.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tool forre-surfacing meat blocks by cutting away the upper portion of the meatblock and sanding this new surface to thus provide a new plane surfacefor the upper side of the meat block.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of theapparatus showing it installedon a meat block;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus looking from the righthand side of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the apparatus showing it installed on ameat block;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the upper right hand portion of Figure 3showing the manner of mounting one end of the screw for feeding the sawcarriage along the trackway on which it is mounted;

Figure 5 is a view partly in section and partly.

in elevation taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 3 and showing only thelower portion of the apparatus at this point; l

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the cutting saw, showing it removed fromthe motor shaft;

Figure '7 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale through the sawand taken along the line l--'! in Figure 6.

Referring more. specifically to the drawings, the numeral it] indicatesa meat block which is usually made up of a plurality of verticallydisposed square pieces of wood Illa. This has joined thereto suitablelegs H for supporting it on the floor of the meat market in which thismeat block is usually employed. The upper surface of this meat block isemployed by placing pieces of meat thereon and, by means of a cleaver,cutting the meat into smaller portions for delivery to customers. Thisresults in portions of the upper surface of the meat block being dugaway, forming cavities and uneven surfaces which renders the meat blocknot only unsanitary but also renders it unfit for proper cutting onaccount of not having a smooth upper surface. I take a pair of angleirons l2 and I3 and after leveling them properly I secure these inclamping relation to opposed sides of the meat block a substantialdistance down on the side by means of suitable tie bolts l4 andvl5.After the angle iron trackways l2 and I3 have been firmly secured to themeat block, I can additionally secure the tracks 12 and [3 to the meatblock, to prevent being moved upwardly or downwardly, by means ofsuitable nails l6 being driven into the meat block through holes I! inthe vertical legs of the angle iron members l2 and 13.

The horizontal legs of each of the trackways l2 and I3 are adapted .tosupport suitable carriages which in turn support a trackway for thecutting tool for re-surfacing the upper surface of the meat block. Thesetrackways for supporting the cutting tool comprise angle members and 21to the outer surfaces of which are secured by means of suitable bolts22, suitable dove tailed guides 23 and 24. The horizontal legs of angleirons 2i and 22 are supported by suitable angle brackets 25 and 25 atone end, said angle brackets having vertically disposed legs, each ofwhich is penetrated by a bolt 28 which is shouldered and on the enlargedportion of which is rotatably mounted a wheel 21 which rolls on thehorizontal portion of trackway 13. This bolt 28 on which wheel 21 isrotatably mounted also penetrates an upstanding leg 30 of a U-shapedangle bracket 3| which in its horizontal portion has mounted on bolts 32grooved wheels 33 which engage the outer edge of the horizontal portionof trackway [3. A clamping member 34 is bolted to the horizontal portionof angle bracket 25 and clampingly engages the horizontal leg portion ofangle members 20 and 2|. The clamps 34 are secured in position by meansof suitable bolts 35 penetrating the horizontal portion of angle bracket25. The description given for one side of this carriage assembly isidentical to the other end and like reference characters will apply.

As to the other end of the carriage which is associated with trackwayl2, like reference characters apply to all parts except that instead ofan angle bracket 25 being clampingly secured; to the horizontal portionsof trackways 20 and 2! by means of bolts 35 and-"clamp 34*, the upperhorizontal leg portion ofbracket 25 is bolted directly through thehorizontal portions of trackways 20 and 2! by means of bolts-3E.v

Secured on the lower surface of trackway 21 is,

a strap iron member 40 which has a bearing block 41 mounted thereonby'means of screws 39 with a capfl'secured on topof same by means ofsuitable screws 38 penetrating suitable holes 43 in the bearing-block 4|(see'Figures 3 and 4). I This bearing-block isadapted to rotatablysupport one end of a screw-threaded shaft '44; which has a pluralityofenlargements 45;;thereon, which are suitably housed in enlargements inthecavity of bearing-block M". To the -other end of the trackwayil there-islikewi'se secured a bracket 48 which has abearihg bl'ock 49*securedto the outer surfaceof the vertical-leg portion of the angle bracket 4'8in which the-smooth end of screw threaded rod Misrot'atably mounted;

-Mountedon the-threaded rod 44 is a threaded block=5llwhiehds'securedtoa motor and tool carriage-5l and thus turning-of thescrew 44 by means of a wheel 52 being secured on one end thereof willmove the motor carriage El along the trackW-ays: 23 and 24i Thismotorcarriage has inturned lips 53 oni each-side thereof which projectdownwardly'and inwardly and: fit against the. outer inwardlyslopingsurfaces of members Zitandid". This permits thecarriage 5|. to be mowed:along; theltrackways ZBaand 24 @by turning of wheel. 52. anduits:associated.screw-threaded rodior .wornrshaft. 44.

-Therxmotor carriage St: has. suitably secured thereto;arn-electricmot'or 55 which has a vertically disposed shaft .56.;therein and on the lower end of: this. motor; shafitr 56 there isadapted to be seouredia suitable circular saw, this saw assemblycomprising, a? chuck; orsocket 51 adapted to be secured to ,thealowerend of motor shaft BB-by means of; a; set; screw 58: Thisflttingor chuck51;; has an: enlarged circular; portion 6 havingv a centralthreadedopening 6| inrwhichl-a screw 6-2 is threadably' mounted whichpenetrates a central holein a circular saw 63 and together. with boltslid-and 65.:secure the-sawtothe-portion 60; This screw-62 does not have;a groove -in-itslower surface asitwouldinterfere with the-finishimparted to the upper surface of the meat-block but has a slot 66in itsupper end by means of which the screw 66 can-be turnedrelative to block60 after the-portion 58 has-been removed'from the motor shaft 56(seaFigure '7).

The carriage or motor.- carrying member 51 has a, rectangular openingtherethrough in which is mounted a. suitable block 'Hlby means of setscrews ll-andftl This block has an upwardly extending barrel in which'isrotatably mounted aishaft li-which: has a disk 16on.its lower end;having .anabrasive covering such as emery cloth or sandpaper TI on itslowersurface. The upper end-,0? shaft ;has a v pulley 80 thereon with=a,vi-belt 8 l which is also mounted on a V- pulley; $2 mountedon.the-upperv end of -motor shaft-56: This permits thesurface-back of thesawtorberpolished and smoothed overafter the same. a e icut rthes w-fiElectric motor 55 is supplied with electrical current by a suitable dropcord' '85 which passes through an eye member 86 on the end of arm 81which is pivotally mounted as at 88 on the carriage frame 5| forsupporting the drop cord a substantial distance above the machine and ata point.- where it will not get in the way of the mechanism or drop downon the table being operatedupon.

' Method of operation The trackways or angle iron members l2 and I3 aresuitably clamped on the opposed sides of the meat block at a point belowwhere it is desired to saw the same and when the trackways are propertyleveled, they are additionally secured by driving nails l6 through holesI1 tofirmly secure the angle members l2 and I 3 to the sides of the meatblock. The carriage having the trackway carrying the saw an'dabradingtool is mounted on these trackways as they are attached to the meatblock and the carriage carrying the electric motor and saw and abraidingtool is moved up on one end of the trackways I2 and I3 and the carriageor inotor frame. 5i is moved all the. way to the right in'Figures I, 2,and 3 to a point where'the edge of thesawwill not quite be in contactwith the side of the meat block. This motor mount and saw will bepositioned to the extreme right in'Figures 1, 2,'and 3 before themechanism is assembled and attached to the meat block. The carriagecarrying the motor frame is'rolled'to one end or the other of thetrackways l2 and l3'and then by manipulatingthe screw 44, and while thesaw is rotatingthe saw is fed into the meat block to a depth, say, ofabout twoinches and then with this settingheld securely by the screw 44,the carriage having trackways 2'3 and 24 is moved to the right'or to theleft, depending upon which end of the traokway the saw is initiallypositioned, to out say a two-inch grooveall the way across-the side ofthe meat block. Then bymeans of a suitable chisel and the like thesawed-off portions of the meat block are broken awayand-th'enanotherdepth of cut all the way across the-meat block, and this operation isrepeated'until-the entire upper surface of the meat block has-beengone'over. After a few cuts of the sawwtheabrading tool comes intooperation and proceeds to cleanse and polish the new surface which hasbeen made by sawingoff the top portionsof the meat block. When thesawing has been completed, the frame 51' can be moved fartherxoutwardlywith the saw although it is locatednotto engage the meat block, but theabraiding tool; will engage the meat'block in finishing up the polishingoperation.

In the drawings and specification there has beensetaforth a1 preferredembodiment of the inventiomand although specific terms are'employed,they are used in. a genericrand descriptive sense 'only, and notf'or:purposes of: limitation, the scope of thezinvention being definedin the claim.

ltclaim':

Apparatus for re-surfacing meat'blocks comprising'a pair of .angle ironseach having avertical web and a horizontal web, a pairof boltspenetrating the ends of the angle irons for clamping the-vertical web ofthe angle irons-to the sidesof the meatblock, a U-shaped bracketassociated with each angle iron and having two rollers mounted in thevertical portionsthereof foriengaging'the upper side of the horizontalweb of the angle iron, each of said u-shaped mem berse having asp'airiof brackets secured thereto, and provided with horizontalllegsand agrooved wheel mounted in each leg for engaging the outer edge of thehorizontal portion of the angle irons, the upper ends of the U-shapedmembers havin secured thereto a pair of spaced angle bars extendingabove the meat block, and spanning the distance between the two U-shapedmembers, the last-named angle bars having a horizontal web which issecured to the U-shaped members and a vertical web, the remote sides ofthe vertical webs having each a bar secured thereto and extending thelength of the last-named angle bars, each of said bars being broader atits top than at its bottom portion to form a dove-tailed trackway, amotor mount having a dove-tailed groove in its lower surface forengaging the bars secured on the remote sides of the last-named anglebars, a motor mounted on one side of said motor mount and having adownwardly projecting shaft, a cutter mounted on the shaft, a screwthreaded rod having a hand wheel and being mounted on the upper portionsof the U-shaped members and threadably engaging the motor mount formoving it along the last-named angle bars to move the 6 cutting toolinto engagement with a portion of the meat block, while theassemblycomprising the U-shaped members and the last-named angle barstogether with the motor mount is moved longitudinally of the first-namedangle bars to cut away a portion of the meat block.

GEORGE L. COLEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

